Tick infestation and spotted-fever group Rickettsia in shelter dogs, California, 2009

C L Fritz; P Kriner; D Garcia; K A Padgett; A Espinosa; R Chase; R Hu; S L Messenger

doi:10.1111/j.1863-2378.2011.01414.x

Tick infestation and spotted-fever group Rickettsia in shelter dogs, California, 2009

Zoonoses Public Health. 2012 Feb;59(1):4-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2011.01414.x. Epub 2011 May 20.

Authors

C L Fritz¹, P Kriner, D Garcia, K A Padgett, A Espinosa, R Chase, R Hu, S L Messenger

Affiliation

¹ Division of Communicable Disease Control, Center for Infectious Diseases, California Department of Public Health, Sacramento, CA 95899-7377, USA. cfritz@cdph.ca.gov

PMID: 21824367
DOI: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2011.01414.x

Abstract

In response to an outbreak of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) in Baja California in early 2009, dogs at two shelters in neighbouring Imperial County, California, were evaluated for ectoparasites. Brown dog ticks (Rhipicephalus sanguineus), a recognized vector for RMSF, were found on 35 (30%) of 116 dogs but all ticks tested negative for Rickettsia rickettsii by PCR.

MeSH terms

Animals
Arachnid Vectors / microbiology*
California / epidemiology
DNA, Bacterial / genetics
Disease Outbreaks / veterinary
Dog Diseases / epidemiology*
Dog Diseases / microbiology
Dog Diseases / parasitology
Dogs
Female
Humans
Male
Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
Rhipicephalus sanguineus / microbiology*
Rhipicephalus sanguineus / physiology
Rickettsia rickettsii / physiology*
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / epidemiology
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / microbiology
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / veterinary*
Tick Infestations / epidemiology
Tick Infestations / parasitology
Tick Infestations / veterinary*

Substances

DNA, Bacterial